The Friends of Hempstead Plains at Nassau Community College is committed to safeguarding, conserving, and restoring approximately 24 acres of the globally rare ecological community known as the Hempstead Plains. The friends group manages the plains for educational and ecological purposes.
Situated in the heart of Long Island within the present day Town of Hempstead, the Hempstead Plains was historically a vast expanse of native grassland that spanned approximately 40,000 acres in central Nassau County.
The Hempstead Plains served as the “Cradle of Aviation,” home to early airplane flights, including Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis’ historic non-stop flight to France.
Today, the plains at Nassau Community College represent a fragment of the 24-acre remnant of the Hempstead Plains, preserving one of the last vestiges of what was once a sprawling native grassland prairie. The New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP) estimates that up to 40 additional acres of the Hempstead Plains could be restored (NYNHP, 2023).
This unique habitat nurtures an astonishing array of 250 plant species, including 14 rare species native to New York State. Serving as a repository of invaluable genetic diversity, the plains stands as a cherished element of Nassau County’s natural heritage, and well as a natural treasure of global significance.
The Hempstead Plains is under constant threat from surrounding development, the introduction of invasive species, encroachment of woody vegetation, fire suppression, litter, and misuse. Without proper protection and management, the remaining plains would quickly be overrun.
Fire is a natural part of grassland ecosystems, maintaining habitat for grasses and forbs. For centuries, Native Americans burned grasslands and forests on Long Island to enhance habitats for travel, crops, and wildlife for hunting. European settlers suppressed fires, resulting in an overabundance of trees and shrubs in the Hempstead Plains and other grasslands.
In 2023, thanks to the Friends of Hempstead Plains and partners, prescribed fire returned to the plains for the first time since the mid-1990s. Prescribed fire supports the regrowth of native prairie grasses and forbs, while reducing encroaching woody vegetation and invasive plants.
The Hempstead Plains is a priority conservation area (PCA) for the Long Island Invasive Species Management Area (LIISMA). LIISMA held our fall partners meeting and workshop at the plains on September 8. Rob Longiaru, Habitat Director for the friends group, gave a presentation on the plains and led the group on a tour of this wonderful grassland ecosystem.
“The Hempstead Plains Preserve offers a unique opportunity to step back and understand the roots of development on Long island,” Longiaru explains. “Since the 17th century travelers to Long Island noted the great expanse of the Hempstead Plains. Today, many wonder where the Plains once stood, and the Friends group is here to connect the ecology of the habitat to its historical use by humans.”
Characteristic native plant species of the Hempstead Plains include eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), sandplain agalinis (Agalinis decemloba), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii), broom-sedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus), butterfly-weed (Asclepias tuberosa), wild-indigo (Baptisia tinctoria), round-headed bush-clover (Lespedeza capitata), slender bush-clover (Lespedeza virginica), switch grass (Panicum virgatum), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), yellow prairie grass (Sorghastrum nutans), early goldenrod (Solidago juncea), and bird’s-foot violet (Viola pedata) (NYNHP, 2023).
Invasive plant species include Rhode Island bent (Agrostis capillaris), mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), round-leaved bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), black swallowwort (Vincetoxicum nigrum), autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata), hard fescue (Festuca trachyphylla), sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata), gold-and-silver honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), and toringo crab apple (Malus toringo) (Edinger and Young, 2018). These and other invasive species are being managed by the friends group using both mechanical and chemical means.
The Hempstead Plains is currently open for visitors on Saturdays & Sundays, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Visit the friends’ website at www.friendsofhp.org to learn more. You may contact the Friends of Hempstead Plains at info@hempsteadplains.org.
Sign up for volunteer opportunities at the Hempstead Plains: http://www.friendsofhp.org/site/index.php?id=7.
Edinger, Gregory J. and Stephen M. Young. 2018. Hempstead Plains Grassland Ecological Community Mapping and Rare Plant Survey. New York Natural Heritage Program. Available from http://www.friendsofhp.org/site/assets/files/Botanical%20Survey_March_2018.pdf. Accessed October 23, 2023.
Friends of Hempstead Plains. 2023. http://www.friendsofhp.org/site/. Accessed October 24, 2023.
New York Natural Heritage Program (NYNHP). 2023. Online Conservation Guide for Hempstead Plains Grassland. Available from: https://guides.nynhp.org/hempstead-plains-grassland/. Accessed October 24, 2023.Longiaru
